HomeStudioGuide.com - Guide to Home Studio Recording

So you have thousands $$$ of dollars in audio equipment sitting in your studio. You've got Korg keyboards, AKAI samplers, a top of the line music and gaming PC, or maybe even an Apple PowerMac (or MacPro). Life is good.

But you follow the power cables and you're plugging them into a $10 Wal-mart power strip? Are you crazy?

No sir! Don't do that. If you value the investment you've put in your gear. You need better protection from the unpredictable nature of power coming from the Electric Company. You need to protect yourself from power surges, sags, AC line noise and power failures.

You need a UPS or Uninterruptible Power System. But not any $50 from the bargain bin of CompUSA will do. Some of those bargain basement prices UPS output a modified square wave. Those are fine if you're only powering a cheap white-box computer. But if you'll be connecting delicate audio equipment and beefy dual core, dual processor behemoths with multiple hard drives, you want a true SINE WAVE output UPS. These types of UPS mimics the sine wave that utility power companies send. Not some stair-step square waves.

UPS's are rated in VA (Volt-Ampere). It goes like this.... the higher the VA, the more devices you can attach to your UPS.... OR the longer it can supply power to your equipment of smaller load.  Also, depending on the size of the UPS, it may only be able to give you so many minutes to keep everything powered up (just long enough for a safe shut down). So the bigger the UPS (which means, the bigger and more batteries it has), the longer it can supply power.  Some UPS will have like 4 batteries inside them. Some will only have one (1).

For instance, an 800VA UPS may give you 10 minutes of runtime power, while a 1500VA will give you 36 minutes. But pick another 1500VA model, and it may give you up to 55 minutes of runtime.

Here's a handy UPS selector sizing guide. Just select the type of computer you have, how many monitors, hard drives you're using, etc... and it will give you a "SUGGESTION."  It's a suggestion because obviously, you can always go higher. If in doubt, pick the higher VA UPS.

Note, your exact computer model may not be shown... just pick a similar model.

What am I using here? I'm using a Back-UPS XS 1000VA just for my PowerMac G5, and two (2) Smart UPS 1400VA for my servers.

And oh... UPS don't last forever. I mean, the batteries. These batteries are rated for 3-5 years. So after that time period, I recommend you buy new batteries for your UPS.

I'm going to start posting what I call "Zoddities*"... this is a collection of cool, weird looking gadgets, gear, stuff. I think you'll enjoy reading about it or looking at the pictures.

First issue of Zoddities! Straps... i.e. Guitar straps



Made by the Eyeland company. You'd notice a lot of "eyes" appearing on their guitar straps. Kinda creeps you out. But cool anyways.

from their website:

The materials that go into Eyeland products are essential in creating the most visually striking and functional guitar straps ever!

With an extensive background in the leather and fashion industry not to mention sculptural principal and design, we seek out the absolute best of all these media. The leathers used in our straps have come from the top tanneries in the world.

Our requirements are that it has to be beautiful to the eye, wonderful to touch and able to perform. The hardware has to be up to the task. It must be top quality, compliment the design and also hold up to the rigors of the road.

The glass eyes used in some of our designs are actually hand-painted and so realistic you expect them to blink! Eyeland straps are not your typical assembly line "what ya see is what ya get" situation. Each strap is created with a conviction to detail.

Adjusting the length of an Eyeland strap is a joy! All Eyeland straps are designed so they can be easily adjusted. There are a variety of methods we utilize that compliment the designs. We don't think you should have to have an Eagle Scout knot manual to lengthen or shorten your strap.

You may notice that some Eyeland guitar straps incorporate curves. The Eyeland Ergo-Curve evolved from customer input. This design conforms to the shape of your body to distribute weight and allow freedom of movement.

*Why am I calling it zoddities? Because I need a word that starts with the letter "Z" so it will show up at the end of my categories... and combining it with the word "Oddities" for odd stuff. Happy now?

So you just got a brand new pair of Behringer, KRK, or Event active monitors. Or if you're one of the lucky few with deep pockets, maybe you got a Yamaha, Mackie or Genelec active monitors. Nice!

So how do you place your new monitor on your desk for proper monitoring of your music?

The rule of thumb is imagine an equilateral triangle where the tips of the triangles touch the left and right monitors, and your head.  The distance between the left and right monitors, and the distance between the monitors and your head (i.e. where you're sitting, i.e. the SWEET SPOT) should be approximately equal.  Now, point the monitors inward so the tweeters (or high-frequency drivers) approximately hit your ears, i.e. at ear level. At this point, you may do some fidgetting if you want it more toed-in or less. But this is a good starting point when placing your monitors.

This assumes that your head and monitors are on the same plane/height. If your monitors are placed higher than your head, tilt it down so the tweeter's line of fire is approximately hitting your ears. We're not too worried about the woofers or low frequency drivers since they won't be as directional as the high frequency drivers.

What can you use to tilt the monitors down?

 

You can use these Isolation pads. They're also good since they decouple (or isolate) the base of your monitors from your desk. That way, you don't get symphatetic vibrations (especially of the low frequencies) which results in unclear stereo imaging. Also, sometimes when a monitor is sitting directly on your desk, you can feel the whole desk vibrating due to mechanical vibrations of the monitor being transferred to the desk. These pads reduce those vibrations too. For less than $40, these pads are a great addition for your studio.

A Limiter and Compressor belong to the same family of dynamics processors. You can say the Limiter and Compressor are close cousins.

If you don't know what a compressor is, or need a review of it's basics, click here.

A Limiter is just like a compressor that it prevents the signal from exceeding a threshold value. While you can use low to mid compression ratio with ordinary compressors, limiters work with very high compression ratio... like 20:1 or infinity:1. Think of it like a glass ceiling. You ain't going above the glass ceiling no matter how hard you jump up. That's what a Limiter does. It prevents the signal from going beyond that point. Just like a compressor, it also has an ATTACK time on how fast it should clamp down or limit that signal.

Very expensive limiters offer 100% guarantees that the signal will not exceed the set threshold you've set... These high-end type limiters are usualy used in the broadcast industry, PA systems and most importantly, in-ear monitoring systems. (You don't want that million dollar singer of yours suddenly go deaf because of feedback because some intern manning the FOH fell asleep.)

A good example of a limiter is the 1176LN by UREI/Universal Audio. You can also buy plugin versions of the 1176 via the UAD-1 package. Click here to search our gear database for limiters/compressors.



Related Articles
How to connect a compressor
The best compressors you can buy
Build your own 1176 Compressor/Limiter
Build your own SSL Buss Compressor

Crossgrading to SONAR 6

If you've considered switching to SONAR 6 from another DAW platform, you're in good company. With unique features, amazing sound quality and top shelf plug-ins, SONAR 6 is hard to ignore, and we hear from customers daily who are interested in finding out how SONAR 6 can make a difference in their studios.

Cakewalk is now making it easier than ever to switch by offering special "crossgrade" pricing on SONAR 6. So if you're ready to step up to SONAR 6, visit these retailers today to recieve special competitive upgrade pricing. Eligible customers can buy SONAR 6 Producer Edition for only $399*, or SONAR 6 Studio Edition for just $199*.

Cakewalk will honor crossgrade pricing for all Cubase and Nuendo customers from all versions of the Steinberg programs, including Cubase LE, SL, SX and older Cubase titles on all platforms. In addition, owners of Ableton Live; Apple Logic; Magix Samplitude; MOTU Digital Performer; Pro Tools LE, M-Powered, and |HD; SONY ACID Pro and Vegas will be also able to take advantage of this special deal.

This is a repost of my SSL Build Thread. Thanks to Gyraf.dk for the schematic plans.

The compressor is a clone based from the SSL4044E desk (1985 era). The SSL mixbus is actually an integrated part of the desk's main quad fader and autofade system. Schematics and mods can be found below the article.

I also did some mods on my unit. Mainly, adding transformers at the output. Originally, the unit uses opamps for balanced outs. I have some MCI 416 output trafos that I used for my SSL unit.

The PCB...



Screenshot of my PCB stuffed with components. A few missing parts but almost there.

On another topic, I talked about how you connect a compressor. This time we'll be talking about how to connect an effects processor.

What is an effects processor? These are all-in-one units that can do reverbs, delay, chorus, flanging. A good example of this is the Lexicon MPX-550 or the TC Electronic M-One.

Here are some pics of my Lexicon MPX-550.

Photo of a Lexicon Effects processor. Also shown is a MOTU 828mk2 audio interface.



The LCD panel of the Lexicon MPX-550.

The numbers 1,2,3,4 and the text above it (which changes depending on what efects you'e selected... in this example it's "Small Hall") corresponds to the parameter knobs where you can easily change these parameters.




How do you connect these units to your home studio setup? Effects processors (or stand-alone Reverb, Delay, Chorus units) are connected in PARALLEL to the signal path.

Here's a diagram to help you picture it.



Basically, part of the original sound or signal (which is called the "DRY" signal in studio parlance) is sent to the FX/Reverb unit via the SEND jacks.  How much of the original signal is sent to the FX? This is controlled via the "Send" or "Fx" knobs on your channel mixer.

So this "DRY" signal goes to the Effects Processor where the hardware does it's magic of giving it reverb, chorus or delay. The output of the effects processor is called the "WET" signal.  This signal is sent back to the mixer via the RETURN jacks. Your mixer in turn mixes the signal from the RETURN jack to the original "DRY" signal, so you get a combination of "DRY" and "WET" signal. 

By varying the amount of "DRY" or "WET" signal with respect to each other, you can control how obvious or subtle is the effect you're trying to add.


On this diagram of a Mackie 1402VLZ mixer, you can see (2) Aux SEND jacks... labeled (1) and (2).

You'd also see 2 PAIRS of RETURN jacks... labeled (1) Left & Right and (2) Left & Right.

I know what you're thinking... how come there is only one jack for the SEND and two jacks for the RETURN?  Here's the thing... most effects processors only need (1) channel to work it's magic. The resulting signal is often stereo. For example... you sang into your SM57 and now need to add a hint of reverb on your vocal tracks. You only need (1) channel to send the vocal track to the FX unit. Add some reverb... and the FX processor gives you a Left and Right "WET" signal.  Now, when you listen to your vocal tracks (with the reverb added) it's in stereo and sounds very nice, full, and you can picture yourself singing in a concert hall or something.

Some additional notes....

The above method is just one way of using FX Processors. There are other ways to use it, but this is the most common way of using it.

The ALT3/4 jack on your mixer will always be DRY. So if you have the ALT3/4 jack outputs of your hardware mixer connected to your soundcard inputs, you won't get the FX.

However, the MAIN OUTS of your mixer will have the DRY + WET signal. Of course, it also has the "mix" of all your channels.

Some high-end FX processors (like the MPX550) can also accept digital inputs (via SPDIF) and output the WET signal also as a digital signal.

Yes, you can use a hardware FX processors in your Cubase, Sonar, Logic, DP or whatever sequencer you have.  In this case, the SENDs jacks will be coming from the analog output of your soundcard, going to the FX unit, then back to spare analog inputs on your soundcard. This is assuming you have multiple analog in/outs soundcard (or audio interface). The disadvantage of this setup is it's going to eat some of your audio interfaces input and output channels. The advantage is you can have a nice quality FX without using up any cpu resources. (Plus some say hardware is better.)

You can avoid using precious analog inputs and outputs on your soundcard, and still use your hardware FX unit by using digital SPDIF in and outs. Of course, this is assuming your soundcard also has SPDIF inputs and outputs. This is how I'm using my Lexicon MPX550 connected to my MOTU 828mk2.

I'll show you how to setup your sequencer in your computer to use your hardware effects processor this way. But that will be on another day's topic.

A mic can have different pickup patterns. What do I mean by that? I mean, a mic does not only pickup the sound that is in the immediate front of it, it may also pick up sounds behind, or to the sides of the microphone.

Here are the different kinds of patterns. Understand them when looking for a mic to buy and your intended application.



Bi-Directional

This is also called figure-8. It picks up sound in front and rear of the diaphragm, but does not pickup sounds from the sides. These types of mics are often used above an instrument or used for "stereo" recording in an M-S matrix technique.

Cardioid

This is the most popular mic pattern. Basically, it looks like a heart.  It picks up sound where the mic is pointed at, but some of the sounds from the rear are also picked up, though not as much. Usually about -10 to -30dB lower.

Just be careful though, because the shape of the cardioid isn't fixed. It varies it's shape depending on the frequency. So it could be sensitive for some frequencies and not for others. This can be used for good use because the mic imparts some "coloration" to the sound.


Sample Cardioid pickup pattern of an MXL 604 mic.

This type of mic is also good for "proximity effect." i.e. the closer you get to the mic, the lower frequencies are hyped up, adding "body" and fullness to the sound. However, sometimes it's too much. So you can do 2 things... one, move the mic farther away, (or you move farther away), or if the mic has a built-in low-pass filter, activate that. (if your preamp has a low-cut filter, you can also activate that).

Omni-Directional

From the word "omni", this mic responds as evenly as possible from all directions.

Stereo Mics

Nowadays, you can buy stereo mics. These microphones have 2 diagphragms in the same body, usually, they're angled toe-in. The capsules are matched for even frequency response for both Left and Right channels. Now... there are 2 kinds of stereo mics.. the cheap ones that are mainly used for videocam cameras (usually, 1/8" jack), and the professional ones complete with XLR jacks.

Rode NT4 Stereo Condenser Microphone

"ALL OF THE ABOVE" Pattern

Due to great advances in technology, there are now mics that are "all of the above" (except stereo). A single mic can be switched to omni, cardioid or bi-directional by the simple flick of a switch. If you're on a budget, these mics are a good buy since it's like buying 3 mics for the price of one.

Rode NT2-A microphone featuring switchable patterns, low cut filter, and pads.

VMware Virtualization for Mac

Woohoo! Looks like Parallels Desktop has competition. I have Parallels and use it to run a Windows dev server on my MacBook. It will be interesting to see what VMware has to offer above Parallels.



What is VMware's virtualization product for Mac?
The new VMware desktop product for the Mac, codenamed Fusion, allows Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. It is built on VMware's rock-solid and advanced desktop virtualization platform that is used by over four million users today.

With Fusion, you can run traditional PC applications on your Mac: if you need to run PC applications, you can now do so by leveraging the power of virtual machine technology.

Fusion allows you to:

• Create and run a wide variety of 32- and 64-bit x86 operating systems on OS X without rebooting. You can simultaneously run PC applications next to your OS X applications.
• Leverage Virtual SMP capabilities to gain additional performance improvements. On any Mac with dual-core processors, you can assign multiple CPUs to your virtual machine to gain additional performance for CPU-intensive workloads.
• Access physical devices from the virtual machine: read and burn CDs and DVDs, and use USB 2.0 devices like video cameras, iPods, printers, and disks at full speed.  Even devices that do not have drivers for OS X will work in a virtual machine.
• Drag and drop files and folders between OS X and virtual machines to easily share data between the two environments.
• Leverage the cross-compatibility of VMware virtual machines. VMware virtual machines created with existing VMware products are all cross compatible, including virtual machines created by VMware Workstation, VMware Player, VMware Server and VMware Infrastructure 3.
• Run any of the 360 virtual appliances available from the Virtual Appliance Marketplace (http://vam.vmware.com).

http://www.vmware.com/products/beta/fusion/

There are 2 general types of microphones in the market today. They are 1) Dynamic microphones and 2) Condenser microphones.

There are a few other types like piezo, electret, etc... but we'll discuss those later. For now, let's talk about these two.

How are they different? Which one is better?

First, let's talk about dynamic mics. Dynamic microphones are "mechanical" in nature. No, I don't mean they have gears in them but mechanical movement of the microphone diagphragm causes a small voltage to be induced. Basically, sound waves travelling and causes a moving coil to vibrate in and out of a magnetic field. When this happens, a very small and minute amount of voltage is created. If you amplify this small voltage (using a mic preamp or mixer), you'd hear the original sound.

Does this sound familiar to you? I hope so. Because the same principle works in REVERSE when we're talking about speakers. With speakers, current applied to the coil causes it to vibrate, which produces sound waves which eventually reaches your ear. So think of dynamic mics as very small speakers wired in reverse.

Because of the way they operate, dynamic mics don't need an external source of power like a battery or phantom power supplied by your mixer/preamp.

Also, the voltage generated tend to be on the small side and requires more amplification by your mixer/preamp. Of course, with more amplification and higher gain settings by your mixer or preamp, comes more "noise" because your preamp is going to amplify both the original signal and any noise in the system.

Also, they tend to be less sensitive to sound because it requires a good amount of sound energy to move that diagphragm to cause sufficient vibration to generate an output voltage (or signal).

Some examples of dynamic mics are the Shure SM57, SM58.

Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone View more products from Shure The SM57 is a cardiod (unidirectional) dynamic microphone with a contoured frequency response of 40 to 15,000 Hz, perfect for clean reproduction of vocals and instruments. Read Reviews... List Price: $146 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

Shure SM58 Dynamic Handheld Microphone View more products from Shure Consistently the first choice of performers around the globe, the SM58 vocal microphone is a genuine world standard and a true audio legend. The Shure SM58 is a unidirectional (cardioid) dynamic vocal microphone designed for professional vocal use in sound reinforcement and studio recording. Read Reviews... List Price: $188 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

Condenser microphones on the other hand work on the principle of capacitance. "Condenser" is another word for capacitors back in the olden days of vacuum tubes. So anyway, a capacitor has 2 plates and it's capacitance is dependent on several factors like area of plates, distance between plates, and dielectric used. Anyways, for this discussion, one of the plate is made to vibrate by sound waves. This effectively varies the capacitance of the condenser diagphragm.

This varying capacitance is proportional to the displacement of the plate, which is proportional to the strength of the sound waves. Current flows through the wire when the distance between the plates change (caused by the sound vibrations). This is a very small current that must be amplified before it even goes to your mixer/preamp. So yes, condenser microphones have little preamplifiers inside them.

Also, unlike dynamic microphones... condenser mics require power to operate. This may come in the form of a battery housed inside the mic unit, or via the microphone cables through the XLR jack, supplied by the mixer/preamp. This is called phantom power. Basically it's 48Volts supplied by the preamp to the mic.

Condenser microphones are very, very sensitive. It can pick up the sound of your breathing easily, or air coming out of an A/C duct, or the fan noise in your computer. So if your bedroom (ahem, recording studio) is very noisy... using a condenser microphone may leave you feeling frustrated as every sound will be captured by it.... even sounds/noise you don't like.

Here are some examples of condenser-type microphones.

Neumann TLM49 Cardioid Condenser Microphone View more products from Neumann The TLM 49 is a large-diaphragm studio microphone with a cardioid directional characteristic and a warm sound which is especially optimized for vocal performance. It is supplied as a set, with an elastic suspension. Read Reviews... List Price: $1699 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

Rode NT1000 Studio Condenser Microphone View more products from RODE With its ultra low-noise transformer-less circuitry the Rode NT1000 brings new standards to the recording industry. Read Reviews... List Price: $599 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

Rode NT1A Studio Condenser Microphone View more products from RODE The Anniversary Model NT1-A is a complete redesign of the now legendary NT1 classic studio microphone. From the new nickel-plated body to the state-of-the-art surface mount electronic circuitry, the NT1-A will leave you asking "how can RODE offer a microphone that sounds this good, for so little money?" It takes advantage of the huge RODE investment in advanced large scale manufacturing allowing premium performance, durability, consistency, and construction at a price that anyone can afford. Read Reviews... List Price: $349 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

So which type of mic is better? Condenser or Dynamic?

The answer is.... NEITHER.

There is no clear winner with regards to which mic is better performing. There are crappy dynamic mics that will get beaten by condenser mics and there are condenser mics that will get beaten by dynamic mics.

We talked above how condenser mics require power to operate in the form of a battery or phantom power. This requires that the mixer/preamp you picked/used can supply phantom power. Otherwise, your condenser mics will be useless. In this case, if you have a non-phantom power capable mixer/preamp, you're better off with a dynamic microphone.

But dynamic microphones can be heavy since it requires better shielding. (Remember, inside the mic are coils and magnets that generate electricity.) Dynamic mics are susceptible to stray magnetic fields which will cause noise to be generated in the mic. What do I mean by stray magnetic field? hmmm... like motors, ballast in flourescent lights, high-tension power lines, and things like that.

The thing is, there are excellent dynamic mics and there are excellent condenser mics. One should look at the bigger picture, and the required application when choosing a mic. You can't make a generalized statement that X is better than Y.

On a previous post, I posted a schematic of a passive direct box using Jensen Transformers.

I have a ROLLS DB25 passive direct box in my studio so I decided to open it up to see it's "guts".

The ROLLS DB25 is an inexpensive direct box using all passive components. That's right, no need for a 9V battery or wall wart to use this thing. Plus, it's got a transformer inside that takes care of converting from an unbalanced Hi-Z connection (from a guitar) to a balanced Lo-Z connection for connection to your mixer or preamp via XLR jacks.

In addition, it has a -20dB and -40dB pad, and a ground lift switch for "stubborn hum" reduction.



This DI box is very inexpensive at less than $30 per unit. 

Input impedance is 50Kohms, with an output impedance of 600ohms. Max Output level is +4dBm (loaded). Frequency response is 50Hz to 15Khz +/- 3dB. Okay, I know what you're thinking... only 50Hz? Only 15Khz?

Before you get crazy, this unit's application is for electric/bass guitars.  You don't need 20Khz response or down to 20hz response for this application.

So let's crack open this thing and see what makes it tick.

The unit's case is made of steel. This gives you strength and it's small size is perfect for the cramped stage (or recording studio).

Here, you can see the -20dB/-40dB pad switch and the ground lift switch. You can also see the XLR male output jacks.




And these are the guts inside the unit. I've labeled them for easy identification. If you buy the unit, there is a schematic included so I won't bother posting it here.



This is a nice unit featuring transformer-based isolation. Additional features like pads and ground lift switches makes this a versatile unit. You should have at least one in your studio! Come on... it's cheap at less than $30. 

Click here to BUY this DI Box.

This is a schematic plan for building a passive, transformer-based DI Box (Direct Box) from Jensen-Transformers.com. View the original PDF here.

You plug your hi-Z (or high impedance) guitar to jack J1. From here, it goes to a pad on/off switch. You also have 2 pad choices... -10dB and -20dB depending on the position of switch S2.

S3 is a hi-cut filter switch. If S1a (i.e. the pad switch) is switched ON, and the hi-cut filter is ON, the high frequencies are shunted to ground via C3.

The signal going back to your guitar amp via jack J2 is unaffected by the pad and hi-cut switches.

Transformer T1 is a JT-DB-E transformer. This takes care of matching impedance between your guitar and the mic preamp of your mixer. It also converts the guitar signal from unbalanced to balanced connection.  The red-brwn wires of the transformer goes to pin 2 and 3 of the XLR which forms the HOT (+) and COLD (-) connections.

Ground is connected to Pin 1 of the XLR. A ground lift switch is provided, S5, which isolates the pin 1 ground of the mixer from the rest of the circuit.

If you don't want to build one, here are some passive DI boxes.

ART ZDirect Passive DI View more products from ART The Zdirect is a high-quality, totally passive interface that lets you connect instrument-, line-, or speaker-level signals to a mixer or other balanced input through a high-performance audio isolation transformer. The high impedance single-ended 1/4 in. input is converted by the transformer into an isolated balanced low impedance signal source. Read Reviews... List Price: $30 Click for Sale price   Shipping cost: $4.99

Radial JDI Duplex Stereo Passive DI Box View more products from Radial A stereo version of the Radial JDI. Ideal for recording, broadcast, and live sound where extreme dynamics such as those produced by digital sampling devices and keyboards are encountered. Completely passive, the JD4 employs two Jensen JT-DBE transformers for 100% isolation and low phase distortion. Read Reviews... List Price: $350 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

Radial JDI MK3 Passive Direct Box View more products from Radial The Radial JDI is considered by many to be the world’s finest direct box. It is a passive DI that employs a Jensen isolation transformer for optimum audio performance offering outstanding linearity at all frequencies, combined with extraordinary level handling without introducing distortion. Read Reviews... List Price: $200 Click for Sale price   FREE SHIPPING!

Radial Pro DI Passive Direct Box View more products from Radial The Radial ProDIs are high-quality, full-range passive direct boxes equipped with custom-made audio transformers for exceptional signal handling without saturation and with extremely low phase distortion in the critical bass and mid regions. The result is exceptional clarity and definition at an attractive price point. Read Reviews... List Price: $100 Click for Sale price   Shipping cost: $4.99

Just an update of my build: Click here if your want to read Part 2.

Soldered 90% of the parts, including the Lundahl transformers, JFETS and transistors. I'm awaiting some parts that were "out of stock" from my first order.

Also, I ordered some wire assemblies with male/female jacks. I'll use them for connections between the main board and xlr jacks, pots, switches, etc... that way, if I need to troubleshoot the board, I can just unhook them instead of desoldering the wire from the board.

TIP: Before you complete assembly of your project, have a suitable chassis ready for it. From my experience, if I built a project without finishing the chassis first, that project becomes half-finished, working but not in a case. Laziness I know...

Also, if everything is in a chassis, you can wire everything and not have to worry about your solder connections or wires becoming loose. Everything is already in place, plus it makes it easier to work on it.

You can get your rack chassis, from 1u, 2u, all the way to 4u and 8u at par-metal.com.  They've got good prices and have nice quality racks.

Looking for great compressors? I think these are some of the stand-outs among the pack.

dbx 160A - This is a classic, introduced way back in the 70s. Easy setup and accurate metering. This is an industry standard with the legendary "Overeasy" feature to transparently smooth out and maintain a constant level for vocals and instrument levels.

Empirical Labs Distressor - The distressor is usually always seen whenever you see photos of professional recording studios. It's unique look with those 4 big knobs is hard not to miss. This is a digitally controlled compressor, that switches different circuits in and out. So you can have programmable analog distortion and warmth. It can replicate the compression that occurs with tape using the Distort 3 mode. Side chain EQ, and eight unique compression curves, to the Nuke setting, that is awesome on drums. It also has an "opto" ratio which uses light controlled components similar to what the LA2A uses to achieve it's compression.


RNC RNC - Really Nice Compressor - This half-rack unit won't win any awards in the "looks good" category, but will blow you away in it's "sounds good" category and "right price" category. Don't let the plastic case and cheap knobs and small size fool yah! This is a high performing compressor that can deliver very transparent results.  It's got two modes.. regular and "SuperNice." Normal mode makes it behave like any other compressor, but Supernice mode gives it an almost invisible effect... i.e. there is compression going on, but you don't even notice it because it doesn't produce harsh artifacts. Great for compressing vocals, acoustic guitar, or the whole stereo mix.
RNC

Universal Audio LA-2A Teletronix limiter - A unique electro-optical attenuator system allows instantaneous gain reduction with no increase in harmonic distortion. It features 40 dB gain limiting, balanced stereo interconnection, and low noise – less than 70 dB below +10 dBm output. Controls are gain, peak reduction and meter selector, and connections are Jones Barrier terminals and XLR connectors.  This is classic... no respectable professional studio will not have it. Some  studios has 4 or 8 of these in their rack. It's that good.


More compressors for every budget and application can be found here.

How do you hook up or connect a hardware compressor? Compressors are used in SERIES with the signal you want to compress. Other signal processors that need to be connected in series are Limiters and Equalizers.

Option 1:

If you're using a stand-alone preamp, you would connect the compressor after the preamp. So it will be:

PREAMP OUT ----> COMPRESSOR IN
Then COMPRESSOR OUT ----> rest of your signal chain (maybe to a mixer or audio interface).

PROS: If your preamp is balanced, and your compressor also has balanced inputs and outputs, then your whole signal chain will be balanced. 

CONS: You'll need lots of cables. Especially if we're talking about a left and right channel setup or stereo mix compressor.

Option 2:

You can also use a hardware compressor with your mixer. If your mixer have INSERT jacks at the back, you can hook up your compressor via these jacks. This will save you some cabling and make your setup more neater. Cons : You'll have unbalanced connections from the INSERT jacks to the compressor, and from the compressor back to the mixer.

Is this a problem? Maybe not. We're just talking about a short run of a few feet here in a "controlled environment." So running unbalanced may not be an issue.

Below is a picture of the back of the mixer showing the CHANNEL INSERT where you can hookup a hardware compressor, EQ, limiter.



But you'd need a special type of cable.  Basically, you'd need an INSERT CABLE, something like this.




At first glance, the black plug (on the photo above) looks like a stereo jack. Nooooo... it's not a stereo jack. It's called a TRS jack. (TRS stands for TIP-RING-SLEEVE).

An INSERT cable is a special type of cable. Basically, the black TRS plug (from the photo above) is wired like this:



This single jack is carrying both the send signal (that will go to the compressor) and the return signal (from the compressor).

I repeat... it's not a stereo jack. It's not carrying 2 channels. There is no left or right channel here. This is carrying only a single channel.

At the other end of this TRS jack, you'd notice there are (2) TS (TIP-SLEEVE) jacks.  The White TS jack is labeled TIP.  The RED TS jack is labeled RING. 

The TIP TS jack (WHITE jack) goes to the input jacks of your compressor. 

The RING TS jack (RED jack) goes to the output jacks of your compressor.

HINT:  RED jack (think of the letter "R") is the RING jack... which is the RETURN path from the compressor

Make sure you don't swap the RIP and RING jacks when connecting to your compressor. Otherwise, you won't get any signal.